Owner of Brooklyn shop attempts to explain the disagreement with Kelly Clarkson over a bird

An owner of the shop where Kelly Clarkson attempted to purchase a mechanical bird has tried to explain the cause of the disagreement, but his response divided the nation even further.

Just in case anybody is lost, here’s the lowdown. Kelly Clarkson attempted to purchase a mechanical bird (called Molly) from a swanky curiosity shop in Brooklyn (called Art of Play). She criticised the shop on X, and compared her experience to the film Pretty Woman. The internet has spent the last three days debating the ins and outs of whether the bird was for sale, whether that was clear, and which side was snobbier. If you think this viral drama all sounds a bit silly – you’re right! That’s the whole appeal.

Adam Rubin, a co-owner of Art of Play, has now spoken to a gaggle of reporters. His explanation for the drama with Kelly Clarkson is that the interaction in the shop was “an insane misunderstanding”.

 

 

 

 

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He told Curbed Kelly Clarkson was in Art of Play for fewer than five minutes. Apparently, the shop employee didn’t mean anything by showing her alternative, cheaper mechanical birds. “If you have ever worked in a shop, and it’s busy, part of what you do is when somebody looks at something and they find it interesting is you show them something else that’s very similar. It has nothing to do with price. That’s just how you treat people.”

Kelly Clarkson “was dressed like everybody else in the shop”, allegedly. Adam said: “We treated her like a normal person, but apparently that didn’t live up to her expectations.”

A major point of contention is whether or not Molly the mechanical bird was for sale. Kelly Clarkson believed it was, and claimed there was a price label by it. According to Art of Play, Molly is the shop’s “mascot”.

Art of Play’s Molly is the artist Bliss Kolb’s ‘Singing Bird on Wall Automaton’
(Image via YouTube)

“So many people asked about it that we had put a price on it,” Adam continued, “but we talked to the creator when he came to fix the machine, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton.”

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Adam also criticised Kelly Clarkson for posting about the incident on her social media. He said to USA Today: “We are afraid for the safety of our shopkeepers. Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger … She used her platform to attack us. It’s asymmetrical social warfare.”

 

 

 

 

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Art of Play’s response has not exactly received universal acclaim. Underneath USA Today’s clip of the interview, an Instagram user commented: “I was on their side until they spoke.”

“Good Lord… they still can’t admit ANY wrongdoing, ” another wrote.